Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-01-06
The Man The Coon Came To.

Captain scott's coon; but who has
heard of Captain scottg The coon
has become famous, while the man
who made the coon come down-Cap,
tain scott-is almost unknown.
i lie was really one of the most in
eresting of men, with curious and
adventurous history. 1t is strange
that SO capable man should have
gone down to history appended, so to
speak, to coon. To begin, let's have
the coon story.
This story was first printed in a
country paper OF New York State
about 1910. At that time the coon
had considerable political significance
and the story may have been told as
q political anecdote. The tale is as
follows:
| Captain Martin Scott. who was a
noted rifle shot, was out in the woods
one day with party of friends hunt
ing. They were scattered through the
woods, each hunting separately. One
OF the party at length came upon a
raccoon that was sitting in one OF thu
highest branches OF q very tall tree.
He fired at him and missed. One by
one the rest OF the party came up and
tried their hand, each missing the dis
tant coon, who grew saucier as they
proceeded. At length Capt. Scott ar
rived, and was in the act of pulling
trigger, when the coon looked slyly
around the limb and saiu:
"Who are you?''
al am Scott"
"What Scott?"
Il am Captain Scott"
| care you Captain Martin scott?"
i 1.-THE same"
"Well," said the coon, Numbering
himself, ''you need not shoot; l will
come down."
When twelve years old, Martin
Scott was living at Remington, Vt.
A bear made its appearance in that
neighborhood. doing great havoc
among the hocks. The people or.
ganized in squads to hunt it. Young
Scott, knowing that his father would
not let him take part in the hunt,
loaded up an old smooth bore gun,
crawled out OF the house before day
light and went out on his own hook
to hunt the bear. 1t was nearly night
when he came upon the bear, lying APP
parently asleep just before him, He
raised the gun to his shoulder, fired,
and fortunately reached the vitals oil
the beast, and killed him instantly.
When he reached the tavern the hun
tiers were all relating their experience.
He announced that he had Killed the
bear. and agreed to show them where
it was. When they found the bear
they constructed litter on which to
carry it to town, and mounted Martin
on top of the bear. As they passed
his fathers house, the old man called
him down, but, unlike the coon, the
youngster would not come, and the
triumphant crowd told his father he
had killed the bear.
From his earliest days Captain
| f.
His fame ran over several counties.
One day while he was blowing in the
field a letter was handed him. He
stopped his horse, opened the letter
and found that enclosed him a com
mission as Ensign in the United States
Army. TO the day of his death he
never knew how this commission came
to be rendered him. He never APP.
piled for it, and never thought of it.
he accepted it, however, and soon be-
came famous throughout the whole
army as the best shot of his day.
Here are some stories about his
shooting told upon the authority oil
Colonel Il. b. Marcy, OF the United
States Army:
In the presence of bis company an
ace OF clubs was tackled upon u tree.
Capt. Scott measured seventy. Ave
yards from the tree and took his posi-
ton. With a muzzle-loading squirrel
rifle he proposed to see how quickly
he could load and fire three times. He
began, and in one minute and twenty
seconds had loaded and fired three
shots at the card This was Very
quick work, forcing him TO take adrop
sight and fire instantaneously. Col.
| Marcy went to examine the target and
found one hole exactly in the center.
He remarked, however, that the other
two shots had missed the tree entire
iy. Capt. Scott smiled, called for an
ak, dug into the tree, and found the
three balls embedded in a single hole.
Col. Marcy says he has seen officers
who vouch for having seen Capt. Scott
do this. He would take two pota.
toes, throw them into the air success
sively, and put pistol ball through
both OF them as they crossed III the
air, one going up and one coming
down.
Naturally this was the sort of man
that fellow would not like to fight a
duel with, aud yet he had great
many. His first duel was under pc
culiar circumstances. He was sta
toned on the frontier at the military
post OF council Bluffs. The army of.
ficers were then, as they are not now,
fond of a social glass, and addicted to
card playing They considered man
who abstained entirely from the like
indulgences as lacking in the proper
spirit. Captain Scott never drank a
glass OF liquor in his life, and never
played game of cards and, while he
was liberal in his intercourse with his
brother officers, was exceedingly par
simonious in his own personal expens-
es. The officers of the post took um-
brage at this, and gradually withdrew
from all intercourse with him, until
he was put in coventry by all save
tv or three of his most intimate as
sociates. He submitted for q long time
to the insults and small Sights and
then held council of war with his
| three friends to determine upon what
had best be done. They informed
him that only two alternatives were
left him. One was to throw up his
commission. The othel was to chal-
lenge the first man who nsulted him.
He promptly announced that he chose
the latter course, and his determine
ton became known throughout the
post. His skill as marksman and
his undoubted nerve protected him
for good while, no one caring to pro-
| woke an encounter with him. At
length, however, an officer from a
neighboring post, who was accelerated
shot, and had brought down his man
III some hall dozen duels, came to the
| post.
| Captain SCOTS singular habits soon
gave him provocation, and he put a
i deliberate insult on him. The affair
occurred at the mess table. Captain
Scott left the room, and Immediately
sent challenge. In telling about the
duel after Captain Scott said that he
went to the ground considerably ag
itated. 1t was his first duel and being